(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cooling of metal articles. More particularly, the invention relates to the quenching of superalloy forgings.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Controlled cooling of heat treated metal articles is critical to achieve desired material properties. Historically, quench cooling has been achieved by immersion in liquid (e.g., water or oil). More recently, the gas turbine engine industry has seen proposals for gas impingement cooling of superalloy components. For example, U.S. patent application publication No. 2003/0098106 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,793 disclose air impingement cooling apparatus. The disclosures of the '106 publication and the '793 patent are incorporated herein by reference as if set forth at length.
There remains further room for improvement in cooling apparatus and methods.